"Tomoe, we've got a problem," Nanami whispered, pulling Tomoe outside. The shrine had a new guest. Raya, a human who Mizuki accidentally sent back in time because he abandoned his incense burner.
"You mean the fact that the snake sent a human back in time and can't find her?" Tomoe said sharply, glaring back into the room at Mizuki.
"No. He's pretending to be happy," Nanami said, "He's upset again and trying to disguise it. When this thing with Raya is resolved, we need to give Mizuki permission to go visit Ume."
"Nonsense. That fool couldn't handle a trip to town without floundering. He would've been lost if he hadn't found Kurama."
"But you remember why he went?" Nanami asked, "He was trying to prove he could survive in the town so that we would let him leave. He misses her and he's hurting and he won't talk about it. We need to help him."
Tomoe sighed, "I suppose he could ride his snake to get there and it can't possibly be that hard to ask for directions to her shrine from there."
"Good. So we'll let him go?"
"If circumstances permit, yes."
"Nanami, I found her. She's waking up!" Mizuki called.
Nanami raced beside the groggy girl, "I'm so glad you're okay! I'm very sorry that you got sent back in time. Mizuki is sorry too!"
Mizuki stood up and went to sit in another corner of the room while Tomoe glared at him. Mizuki's head hung, but not from guilt. He did feel guilty, but he used the circumstances to think about Ume, under the guise of guilt. He had failed miserably when he went into town and ended up buying worthless stickers and getting drunk and sick. What kind of lover was he? To get so distracted and forget his goal of proving he could be responsible in town so he could see her. He managed to hold back tears and he wanted to go to his room to cry again, however, he had a responsibility to Nanami to pay attention to their guest. They were asking if she had lost any personal items.
"Hey, Nanami. Wasn't she wearing earrings?" Mizuki asked, noticing the absence of her gold earrings.
After a brief argument with Tomoe, Nanami decided Raya could go back in time to retrieve her goods. Mizuki put on a big smile and began to chat with Raya in his usual cheerful, somewhat cheeky tone. Nanami and Tomoe slipped out of the room again.
"He's acting normal, but it's torture. The minute Raya is all set, we're sending Mizuki," Nanami said.
After a lot of patience, Raya had finished taking trips to the past. Mizuki knew better than to send her back three times, but hearing of her love for Akura Ou reminded him of his own difficult, painful love for Ume.
Unfortunately, the Divine Assembly came up quickly, so Mizuki, because of his experience with the Divine Assembly, had to take Nanami. So that brought him to now, in the air on his snake, flopped down weakly on its back while he thought of Ume heading to meet Nanami at the Divine Assembly.
"Master Mizuki!" He shot up immediately. Even if he had only heard them briefly before, he recognized the high cries of Ume's shrine spirits.
"What is it?" he asked, trying not to be hopeful.
"Lady Ume needs help!" Etsuko cried.
"We've been searching for you and Tomoe for months!" Ai said, "We got lost!"
"What's wrong? She's been in trouble for months?" Mizuki asked, wide-eyed and trembling anxiously.
"She was captured by a yokai! She escaped and fell into a pit in a cave!" Etsuko yelled.
ŞİMDİ OKUDUĞUN
Channels (MizukixOC)
Hayran KurguFar before Nanami's time, Mizuki was a familiar to the Lady Yonomori. He served her lovingly and loyally. When he meets a young girl from an abusive home, he bets on his god's kindness and wins. He is allowed to care for the girl until she grows up...
